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With the end of the world championship, in which saw Jorge Martin triumphed on his Ducati, the Barcelona circuit became the scene of a rather unusual test. After a brief conference, Dorna welcomed Harley Davidson riders, with the King of Baggers Championship acting as a possible trailblazer among its own future prospects, enriching the schedule and trying to get even closer to the American public. After the conference, they went straight to action. The two Harley Davidson factory team riders who raced in the MotoAmerica gave a demonstration of the potential of their bikes. They then handed over their wheels to riders we know very well: from Randy Mamola, to our own Marco Melandri, from John Hopkins to Simon Crafar.
Introducing us to the world of these Harley Davidsons was Kyle Wyman, rider of the Harley factory team that raced in the MotoAmerica.
"As per regulations in the States, we use a standard frame," the American rider explained. "But there are many modifications, from the forks, to suspensions, to the Brembo superbrakes. There's a lot of carbon fiber both front and rear. It's clear that doing something like this with a bike that wasn't designed for this, we take a lot of things off the bike that we don't need. The minimum weight is 281 kilos. As for horsepower, I can't tell you exactly, but it's very close to that of the Superbike, however, the torque is almost double. We have 131inches of displacement. It has monstrous torque. There's a lot of weight on the rear wheel. When you brake up front with an SBK or MotoGP, the load transfer is different, so we can use a lot of rear brake. We have a 320 millimeter disc. That's a lot of braking power. To stop this bike you need both. In terms of top speed we get around 300 chilometers per hour. This year, in Daytona, it was 299."
Among the first people to try it out was Randy Mamola.
"I only did a couple of laps and, when you come out of the pitlane, you know you're on a big, very heavy bike. But it doesn't feel heavy, you just know it. The riding position is very tight, it's perfect. You feel the rear right away. Like Kyle said about the front, instead, you have to trust it. I'll trust it next year when they give me the bike back for a few more rides!" he said, jokingly. "That's the reason I started racing when I was twelve. When you ride on a bike, it's always exciting. It's hard to understand the power. It's just there, it's not excessive, but you feel the slide. Kyle obviously was able to play with it more, since he knows how to handle the front. I also have memories from the past. When they came to Daytona with the Aermacchi I said, 'Is this a Harley Davidson?!'. Harley Davidson has a good history in racing, it's more than just cool."
Also riding the iconic American two-wheelers was New Zealander Simon Crafar.
"I was impressed with the lack of vibration. The engine is incredibly smooth because there are no electronics. I expected it to be brutal, but it's not. It has scary torque, though. Like that of a tractor. To explain it better, everyone knows how much fun a single 500cc or 600cc is. Imagine the same but on steroids, because each cylinder is more than 1000. It's really nice. The moore brake is one of the hardest things to handle. You have to soften it. With such a big engine, you don't shift quickly, if you downshift quickly, the rear closes up. But, honestly, it's great in acceleration."
Our Marco Melandri was, instead, more cautious. He preferred studying the American monster.
"I started off too slow and cooled the tires! When I started to try with my knee, it improved. But, on the beginning. especially on the left on the straight. I was afraid. The engine, though, is great even if I felt small on the bike and that affected me."
We thank ©Dorna, Pol Bardolet, and Pol Arnella for the images.
